Using a local real estate lawyer is useful and cheap.

LTRs with long term conventional financing and standard management aren't really cash flowing anywhere right now. sure, there are lower cost markets that look better on paper, but there are costs associated with those supposedly cheap markets as well - deferred maintenance, more challenging tenant base, higher cost turnovers as a percentage of the rent.2. i wouldn't pick a random market thousands of miles away based solely on statistics or numbers. 

The response rate in direct mail is similar to sending out cold emails to people.

You can't beat the price, either, or the interest rate on deposits.

These loans are asset-based and provide quick cash but come with higher interest rates and shorter terms.

Chicago is losing housing stock at an alarming rate. 

Plus today's rates for conventional loans are in the single digits, which are lower than hard money.

Also, I would look at rental rates to property values to determine if any areas are around the 1% rule.

But even then, seller financing is rarely substantially better than another investment they could make (including trust deed lending, which will often be at a higher rate than seller financing)In my experience, the owners who find owner financing advantageous are at the ends of their careers and are not interested in looking for another investment (other than the usual retirement funding sorts.)

Save...it takes a lot more money than most new investors believe (don't drink the Kool-aid that you can get in cheap) and residing outside the US will be seen as a substantial risk to most lenders which will limit your financing options.